Tournament Format
Format No. 1:
The 2012 Midwest Tecmo Super Bowl Tournament is a world cup style tournament with a capacity of 64 participants. Pre-tournament, the organizers will divide the field into groups of four. Well-known and unknown players will be distributed evenly throughout the field. Each group will play a round-robin, meaning all four players within each group will play one another once. Each tournament participant is guaranteed three games. Only the top two participants from each group will advance from group play. The top two players from each group will be selected by overall record. If two players have the same record, a head-to-head tiebreaker will determine tournament placement. If three players have the same record, point differential will break the tie. The maximum point differential available in an individual game is 28 points. This should alleviate any unnecessary tension in lopsided group play games. A single-elimination format will follow group play. Each group winner is guaranteed a spot in the single-elimination Field of 32. Once the Field of 32 is assembled, a single-elimination tournament will proceed until only a champion remains.

Format No. 2:
If there are less than 32 participants, the tournament will be played using a triple-elimination format. This guarantees every player at least three games. No pool play will be administered in this format.

Game Play
Team Selection and Coin Toss:
A manual coin-flip will precede each game. Flip winner chooses the matchup. Flip loser then selects either one of the two teams or his preferred controller. If the flip loser selects preferred controller, the flip winner selects a team first. The coin-flip winner can only pick a certain matchup once during the entire tournament.

Playbooks and Lineup:
Customizing playbooks is allowed. You can access your “change” screen (screen where you check player conditions and make substitutions) only twice per half. This helps speed up the games.

WR or TE at RB:
A WR is at RB only if, upon accessing the starting lineup/change screen, the WR appears in a RB slot (as opposed to a WR slot). This is prohibited. WRs that remain in a WR slot may, however, carry the football. This comes into play with teams having only 1 RB slot, such as the Lions, Chargers, Cardinals, Oilers, Falcons, and Redskins. When selecting matchups, therefore, be aware that Ricky Sanders and Earnest Givins can carry the football on plays in which they remain in a WR slot (i.e. offset I and toss up).

Ties:
Although ties are permitted in the tournament’s “group play” portion, such are not permitted in the single-elimination portion of the tournament. If a game ends in a tie after overtime, a new game will begin, and the first player to score in the new game is the winner.

Lurching:
Lurching is prohibited. If you want to rush with a DL, you must either go outside the offensive tackle or “popcorn” someone on the offensive line. You cannot simply go around your blocker and dive. Note that this rule does not apply to LBs.

Game Malfunctions:
If there is an equipment failure in the first half, games will be replayed from the start. If equipment malfunctions in the 2nd half, only the second half is replayed. In that event, the scores from each half are added together to obtain a final score. If the game was uncompetitive or the equipment malfunctioned due to human error, the tourney organizers reserve the right to declare a winner without replaying any portion of the game.

Tournament Issues:
Questions and concerns should be brought to tourney director Chris Vogt’s attention. If Chris is not available, his brothers Jimmy Vogt and Matt Vogt have the next say on the issue.

Equipment information
Bring any consoles, cartridges, adaptors and controllers you can get your hands on. Those who live closer will supply the TVs.

And of these 13 teams with the most unfortunate of fates, which of them will be the first to hoist the Lombardi Trophy? Me, personally? I'm gonna be bold on this one and select....

The Tennessee Titans

2016 saw the Titans make some incredible strides, having defeated the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs--all playoff teams--as well as toppling the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos. I think should the Patriots go south within a year or two, either the Titans or the Raiders will step up and reach the Super Bowl. Some would also include the Steelers too--who may be looking at their last shot at cementing a Super Bowl dynasty of their very own (only the Giants also have a realistic shot at a Super Bowl dynasty) before Big Ben retires. So perhaps give the Titans a year or two--or maybe they'll just have a Cinderella story for the ages this year--and maybe we'll see them hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at last.

The Houston Texans are pretty close as well, though I think their championship window is shrinking. If they can't get any consistent quarterback play, and they don't get it done this year, they might not be able to get it done at all.

As for the NFC, I'm struggling to figure out who out of that pool could possibly win their first Lombardi Trophy either this year or in the near future because the NFC doesn't have a consistent champion, especially not among them. Maybe the Panthers? Some would say the Falcons as well, but given the way that they lost the Super Bowl last time, I'm gonna say they wind up missing the playoffs instead. Maybe the Eagles, but I'm seeing a more Peyton Manning-type QB in Carson Wentz rather than a Big Ben or Tom Brady-type of career. At least he has a stellar defense behind him. But I have to theorize that for as long as the Eagle fanbase continues to be so unabashedly unhinged, the Eagles will continue to suffer.

And the Arizona Cardinals, I'm gonna predict, will have their very last shot at Super Bowl glory this year. If they don't get it done, both Carson Palmer and/or Larry Fitzgerald will retire, and the Cardinals will enter the bargain basement for quite a long time.

So what do you guys think? Or is there an optimistic Cleveland Browns fan that have high hopes that a Super Bowl dynasty might be on the horizon? No mocking. But please explain why and discuss in a civil manner.

WHAT'S ON TAP:
1.) The Main Event
2.) Whoever throws for the most passing yards with Boomer Esiason will win a prize.
3.) Whoever rushes for the most yards with James Brooks will win a prize.
4.) The "first out" single elimination tournament. Players to be eliminated in the early stages of the main event will participate in a single elimination tournament for a prize.
5.) Women's Tournament (tentative)

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